Creel



May 5, 1959 l E. KOPPELMAN 2,885,158

l CREEL Filed Aug. 5, 1957 2 sheets-sheet 1 *AV *y a -2 INVENTOR.

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CREEL Filed Aug. 5, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. laf/dr] af/veirdw.'

United States Patent O CREEL Edward Koppelman, Huntington Park, Calif.

Application August 5, 1957, Serial No. 676,336

4 Claims. (Cl. 242-131) This invention relates to improved creels such as are used to support yarn spools in the textile and related industries.

Previous creels such as those used in conjunction with warp beaming apparatus or directly with a loom for supplying a warp thereto are relatively heavy and bulky. Creels generally available on the market are usually of welded construction and have spool support means mounted in permanently lixed spaced relationship one to the other. The spool support means in such creels must be spaced sutliciently far apart to accommodate the largest yarn spools it is planned to use. Also, a sufficient number of such means must be provided to accommodate a relatively large number of spools such as may be used to make a warp for a tightly woven fabric of fine texture. In the latter case, the warp yarns, or ends being fine are often wound upon relatively small spools. Thus, these previous creels are relatively bulky, and in use result in an uneconomical employment of factory space. If coarse yarns are used relatively few are required in a warp of a given width, and many of the spool positions of the creel are left vacant. If, on the other hand, fine yarns are used such as are wound upon relatively small spools, the vacant space is distributed over the entire creel, but, nevertheless, the over-all size of the creel is larger than needed by a substantial factor. The problem, of course, is accentuated by the increasing demand for manufacturing flexibility and the desirability of weaving a relatively large variety of different fabrics upon the same equipment.

Another disadvantage of presently available previous creels, again stemming from their relative bulk and the permanently fixed nature of their construction is their shipping cost. Even though the creels are not exceptionally heavy, they occupy a considerable amount of space, and generally must be packaged carefully to avoid damaging them during shipment. Protruding parts such as spool support rods, and thread guide rods and plates must be protected against impacts that might bend or distort them. In some cases, the shipping costs alone, disregarding packing costs, may exceed the purchase price of these creels by a substantial margin, resulting in a gross cost to the purchaser of more than twice the price received by the seller.

Accordingly, one important object of the present invention is to provide an improved creel of relatively light weight and compact construction.

Another object is to provide an improved creel in which the spool supporting means are adjustable in position to permit maximum utilization of the space occupied by the creel.

Another object is to provide an improved creel that may be readily and quickly disassembled and compactly organized for shipping at minimum expense, and that may be easily and quickly reassembled by relatively unskilled personnel.

These and other objects are accomplished by the present invention, one embodiment of which comprises a creel ice having vertically spaced, elongated, horizontal supporting members, or beams. Pairs of rods, each pair comprising a spool holding rod and a threaded guide rod, are horizontally supported transversely to the beams upon pairs of plates. Each pair of plates is held in pressure engagement against opposite sides of a beam by a single releasable fastener extending through the plates closely adjacent to the beam. The rods extend through spaced apertures near opposite ends of the plates, one of the rods being positioned below the beam, and the other one above the beam. The rods are shaped to cooperate with the beam and with the plates to maintain the assembly lixedly but removably in position upon the beam. The rods may be quickly and simply removed from the beams,

together with the plates merely by removing the single fastener.

The invention will now be described in greater detail in connection with the accompanying drawing of which:

Figure l is a side elevational view of a portion of a creel embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, side elevational view of a portion of the creel shown in Fig. 1, illustrating the parts thereof on a larger scale;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the creel shown in Fig. 2, taken along the section line 3-3 thereof;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of a portion of the creel shown in Fig. 3, taken along the line 4-4 thereof; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the creel as shown in Fig. 4, taken along the section line 5-5 thereof.

Referring now to the drawing, the creel shown therein comprises a pair of vertical supports 10 and 12 upon whichl a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal beams 14 are xed. The beams 14 may be channel-shaped as shown, and may be secured by any convenient means (not shown) to the uprights 10 and 12, the manner of their attachment thereto being in no way critical in the practice of the invention, except'that for convenience in shipping releasable attaching means are preferably used. A plurality of separate rod and plate assemblies are removably secured to the beams 14 for supporting spools of thread or yarn 16 and for tensioning and guiding thread 24 from the spools 16 to its point of use. Each one of the assemblies 20 includes a spool supporting rod 18, and a thread guide rod 22 over which the yarns 24 are trained when the creel is threaded. If desired, conventional perforated yarn guide plates 26 may be fixed upon the vertical support 12 at the discharge end of the creel to guide the yarn as it is drawn from the creel.

The structure of the individual supporting assemblies 20 is shown in detail in Figs. 2 to 5. The assemblies 20 bent ears, or tabs 32 near their lower ends, which pro-V ject beneath and engage the lower surface of the beam 14. The plates 28 and 30 include upper, lower, and

intermediate apertures 34, 36 and 38, respectively, spaced* along their length.

The lower aperture 36, the central aperture 38 and the tab 32 define a triangle having a height roughly equal to the thickness of the beam 14, so that when the plates are assembled one on each side of the beam 14, rods or screws passed through the intermediate aperture 38 amfthef lbwerapert'ureG cooperate with the tab 32 tm hold tho plateagainst rotation t on thebeam 14.

The upper rod 22 is fitted. through the upper apertures 34 of the `pair of plates 28 and 30 and is provided with. menne: to hol@ the pl'ates-` in spaced apart' relationship; comprise, for example, upset portions 01am illustl'atvelyL shown, struck' fromthe rodu22 neat itmccnter, and@ spaced apart a distance equal to the width oli the' pun 14. Thus; when the `plates 28 and 30m-o` Bttmlfouertheonds' of the-rod- 22` and urged together;` they hold'ltherod 22 rigidlyfin position and are spaced apart 'l'heA plates 28 and 30 are secured'` to the beam 14 by a single screw'42` which may be engaged by a nut-44. The screwy 42ti`s passed through the intermediate aperfabove the beam 14 and is tightened suciently tu` holdl the plates 28- and 30 firmly upon the beam 14, and to' bringL them into frictionalA engagement therewith to lbekf` themy against longitudinal displacement: The( lower, or spool supporting rod 18 is bent upwardly at Both' retain the spool' 16; and to preventthe spool onr *walking ofPthe rod asit is unwound.` This spool' mpporting rod 18 extends through the lowery apertures 36 of the `plates 28P and 30 and is held against rota`- latswhich are formed in the rod andwhich the lower surface ofq the beam 14. when. the assembly is in position.

Teo'set position of the tab 32 with respect' to the linededned by' the lower and intermediate apertures 36 und' 38,` respectively. brings the upper aperture 34 into a positionlongitudinally` spaced from the lower aperture 3f, or that a' thread drawn from a spool mounted on the support rod 18 maybe looped over the upper thread guide rod 22 for tensioning purposes. l

Esch one of' thewassemblies 20' is readily* adjustable in. upon the beamV 14 on which it is mounted by" loosening the` screw 42 to free the plates 2l!` mdfrom frictional engagement with the beam. When thisis done, the assembly 20' may be moved freely alongr ofthe beam 14, to be locked again in a new Moreover, the, entire creel may be readily and' quickly disassembled for shipment, and its component parts may be compactly packaged for shipment to provide substantial savings in shipping costs. `The creel muy' also he made relatively Ii'ght in weight since none. of its parts need be` welded in place. Whereas, in prevous creeis `of welded' construction, the` ditliculties of. welding light` metals such as aluminum and` magnesium dictate the use of steel or iron, the structure according to the present invention is preferably made of light metals al aluminum` or magnesium in` order to reduce costs, especially withrespect to shipment, andalso, to take, advantage, of other well` known beneficial characteristics oi dine light metals.

Ute-i creel may ,be threaded in a` conventional manner, ulshowm,` for examplein Figs. l and 2, wherein spools I6 are loosely supported on the lower rods 18 for uninn a counterclockwise direction. The threads 14j are n'lt'avlm from the spools 16 rearwardly and upwardly and are looped" over the thread guide rods 22', andfthen led forwardly and trained over the next adjacent; threadguide rod 22. Tensioning weights such as the U-lliaped weights` 48 may be hung on `the individual tliada 14 in a. conventional'. manner as shown.

ItwiIl he seen. that a creel according to the invention. is lilllfx exible, in thatthe assemblies 20 are not only miiustable in position on` therbeams 14,. but also may be adillted in number to accommodate diterent numbers; of spools as maybe required. The creel is also adjustable vertically,r and depending upon the heightv milblln the, building` where it is used,` its capacity maybe increased by adding additional beams; 14 above the ones normally used. In this connection, it may spacing of'the beams 14 upon the supports 10 and 12 adjustable, andif maximum etiiciency of' space utilization is desired, this may be done.,

There has thus been described an improved creel structure that is relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture and may be readily and quickly assembled and disassembled, and adjusted to accommodate different numbers of yarn spools; of. dierent sizes.

What is claimed is:

1. A creel comprising an elongated horizontal supporting member, au` pair. of.` symmetrically,` aligned plates positioned, upon opposite sides, of said member in frictional engagement therewith and extending above and below said membeneach` one of` said plates including an inwardly projecting portion positioned beneath said member, a thread guide rod fitted through aligned apertures in said plates adjacent to the upper ends thereof, said thread guide rod including` spacing means to support said plates in spaced' apart relationship whey they are pressed together, fastening means to press said` plates together and to hold them in pressure engagement' with saidmember, said fastening means being positioned above said horizontal member,w a spool supporting `rod litted through aligned apertures in said plates adjacent to the lower, ends thereof and horizontally spaced from said inwardly projecting portions, said spool supporting rods being outwardly upwardly bent, means to tix said spool supporting rods against rotation, and means including said inwardly projecting portions and said spool supportingA rods to hx said plates against rotation about an axis transverse to said horizontal member.

2`. A supporting, assembly for use in a creel to support a thread' spool and to guide a` thread drawn therefrom, said. assembly beingvadapted to be mounted upon a horizontallydisposed elongated member and comprising a pair of supporting plates having inwardly projectingv tabs.,V said tabs beingg positioned, toY project under and to abuttingly engagel the lower surface of the supportingl member'. when said, plates, are vertically positioned upon opposite. sides of, the member,A each one of said plates having an upper, a lower, and an intermediate aperture, a spool supporting rod` extending, through said lower apertures of bothof said plates and having a central tlat portion adapted to engage the lower surface of the supporting member to, hold said rod against rotation, a guide rod extending` through said upper aperture of both of said plates, means centrally xed on said guide rod to abut` said plates. to holdf them in spaced apart relationship,` and fastening means extending` through said intermediate apertures, of' both of said plates tof urge said plates towards. each. other and` into abutting4 frictional,

engagement with, the., sides of. the supporting member'.` when` they. are. disposed thereagainst, said` tabs, said` fastening` means, and,A said spool supporting rod. all cooperativel'y engaging thesupporting member to restrain said assembly against rotational movement` when said assembly is mounted upon the member.

3. Acreelcomprising an elongated horizontal support-A ingmember,` a pair` of vertical plates symmetrically ar ranged upon opposite` sides of` said member, fastening means to urge said plates towards each other into pressure engagement with said member, a first rod and a second rod extending transversely with respect to` said member through aligned apertures` in said plates,` said` trstr rod being spacedA from said member and` including central upsetportions adaptedto holdl said plates in pre-- determined spaced relationship` against the urging of said, fastening means, said second rod being positioned in` abutting, relationship to said. member andA including a central;` dat portion to engage said member; to. hold said; second rod, against rotation, each one ofA said plates in-. cludingl a tab projecting transversely across said member in abutting engagement therewith, said tabs, said fasten-` also be desired to provide means to make the vertical ing means,4 and said second rod all abuttingsaid member aeaaies and being arranged triangularly to hold said plates against rotation.

4. A creel comprising an elongated horizontal supporting member, a pair of symmetrically aligned plates positioned upon opposite sides of said member in frictional engagement with and extending above and below said member, each one of said plates including an inwardly projecting tab extending partly across and in abutting engagement with said member, fastening means to urge said plates together and into tight pressure engagement with said member, said fastening means being positioned on the vertically opposite side of said member from said tabs, a supporting rod tted through aligned apertures in said plates and vertically positioned on the same side of said member as said tabs, said supporting rod extending transversely with respect to and projecting outwardly from said member and including a flat portion engaging said member to restrain said rod against rotational movement, and spacer means disposed between said plates on the same side of said member as said fastening means for maintaining said plates in generally parallel relationship to each other against the urging of said fastening means.

Chipman Dec. 9, 1947 McBride May 8, 1951 

